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Thursday, June 20, 2013

Vatican
City, 20 June 2013
(VIS) – At 11:00 this morning, in the Clementine Hall of the
Vatican Apostolic palace, the Holy Father Francis received the
participants in the 38th Session of the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO). The Pope began by speaking of the
particular difficulty of the current worldwide situation caused not
only by the economic crisis “but also due to problems associated
with security, the great number of continuing conflicts, climate
change and the preservation of biological diversity. All these
situations demand of FAO a renewed commitment to tackling the many
problems of the agricultural sector and of all those living and
working in rural areas.”

The
Pope noted that there are many possible initiatives and solutions and
that they don't only have to do with increasing production seeing
that current levels of production are sufficient, in spite of which
“millions of people are still suffering and dying of starvation.
This is truly scandalous. A way has to be found to enable everyone
to benefit from the fruits of the earth ... to satisfy the demands of
justice, fairness, and respect for every human being.”

Francis
repeated that the goal of meeting with the participants in the FAO
conference was “to share the idea that something more can and must
be done in order to provide a new stimulus to international activity
on behalf of the poor, inspired by something more than mere goodwill
or, worse, promises which all too often have not been kept.” If
current situations and living conditions aren't examined in terms of
the human person and human dignity, the Pope said, then they run the
risk of “risk turning into vague abstractions in the face of issues
like the use of force, war, malnutrition, marginalization, the
violation of basic liberties, and financial speculation, which
presently affects the price of food, treating it like any other
merchandise and overlooking its primary function.”

The
Holy Father declared that the present situation, “while directly
linked to financial and economic factors, is also a consequence of a
crisis of convictions and values, including those which are the basis
of international life.” He, therefore, asked the FAO, its member
States, and the entire international community to open their hearts.
“There is a need to move beyond indifference and a tendency to look
the other way, and urgently to attend to immediate needs … leaving
behind the temptations of power, wealth, or self-interest and instead
serving the human family, especially the needy and those suffering
from hunger and malnutrition.”

Likewise,
the Pope mentioned that dedicating the coming year to the rural
family was a very expressive decision that, beyond a mere
commemoration, will be an occasion to “reaffirm the conviction that
every family is the principal setting for the growth of each
individual, since it is through the family that human beings become
open to life and the natural need for relationships with others.”

Pope
Francis noted that “the Catholic Church, with all her structures
and institutions, is at your side in this effort, which is aimed at
building concrete solidarity, and the Holy See follows with interest
and encourages the initiatives and activities undertaken by the FAO.”